‘I stink, we both stink. It is awful and so upsetting and degrading’
COUNCIL HOUSE ‘NIGHTMARE’ FOR MUM AND DAUGHTER WITH GENETIC CANCER
ADEVASTATED Hull mum says the “safe haven” home promised to her and her disabled daughter has in fact been a “living nightmare”.
Carmen Pirotta, 59, of Holm
Garth Drive in Sutton, moved into her council house with her daughter CJ a month ago, but claims that it is inhabitable and has made them both ill.
Miss Pirotta cares for CJ, 26, who has learning disabilities, cerebral palsy and was recently diagnosed with an incurable kidney cancer that killed both her dad and brother.
She says that the pair have only been able to wash themselves once since they moved in due to a broken shower that flooded the house and that they had no lighting for two weeks.
But a spokesman for Hull City Council said the property had not flooded, as claimed, and several attempts to make repairs had not been possible due to the tenant denying workers access.
Miss Pirotta said: “My daughter has just been diagnosed with kidney cancer and we moved to this house as we were told it was a safe haven for us after having problems with our other house in Bransholme.
“Her cancer is genetic and it killed her dad and brother and it’s going to do it to her as there is no cure, but yet we are living in a dump.
“It has been a nightmare ever since we moved in - there is damp everywhere and it has given CJ a chest infection and had us both vomiting for a week because of the smell of it, but all the council have done is paint it with magnolia.
“We have only had one shower since we moved in as the bathroom flooded and even then, the bathroom isn’t right as CJ needs a wet room and not just a shower pan.
“I stink, we both stink. It is awful and so upsetting and degrading.
“My daughter has hormone issues and feels disgusting not being able to wash and it’s really upset me too.”
The ordeal has made Miss Pirotta feel suicidal and she feels the council have not done enough to fix the issues.
“I’ve felt suicidal with all the problems we have had since moving here and I wish we had never moved,” she said.
“Sometimes I just don’t want to be here and I had a mental break down and called social services for support as I thought I was going crazy.
“The workmen the council have sent in to fix the problem are cowboys and haven’t solved the issues at all so I don’t feel like we are getting anywhere.
“It’s not just the bathroom either - we had no lighting for two weeks as the flooding from the bathroom bust the fuses, the roof is falling in, there’s subsidence and cracks in the walls, and the garden is uneven and filled with a sinkhole.” Hull City Council say that the home was not flooded and that contractors have been trying to get into the home.
A spokeswoman for the authority said: “The property was not flooded. A leak was identified and the council’s contractors have made numerous attempts to access the property to carry out the appropriate repairs.
“On a number of occasions access has been denied by the tenant.
“Contractors are attempting to visit again today to carry out the repairs.”
We have only had one shower since we moved in as the bathroom flooded
Carmen Pirotta